Former Vatican finance czar Cardinal George Pell met with Pope Francis in a private audience at the Vatican Monday. The Holy See press office said that the audience took place October 12, but gave no further details. A video of the meeting showed the Pope shaking the cardinal’s hand, while saying: “It is a pleasure to…
As Armenia and Azerbaijan continued their battles and bombardments in early October, an Armenian archbishop pleaded for the intervention of the European Union to halt the conflict before it grew into a regional war. “We don’t want advice about a cease-fire, but real concrete steps so that the aggression stops definitively,” Armenian Catholic Archbishop Raphael…
The Diocese of Brooklyn filed a lawsuit in federal court on October 8 against the state of New York, charging that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new orders reducing church capacity violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion. “The executive orders this week have left us with no other option than to go…
An Italian Catholic priest was freed on October 8, two years after he was kidnapped by a jihadist group. The office of the president of Mali announced the liberation of Fr Pierluigi Maccalli, a member of the Society of African Missions. He was one of four hostages released this week by fighters believed to be…
Hindu groups in India are planning to launch a nationwide campaign to curb religious conversion, which they claim is a form of violence and a crime. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) say religious conversion is rampant in tribal-dominated areas and they plan to bring those converted back to the…
Pope to Moneyval: merchants must be prevented from ‘speculating’ in the temple It is a task which is “particularly dear to my heart”, carried out “to promote a ‘clean finance’, in which the ‘merchants’ are prevented from speculating in that sacred ‘temple’ which is humanity”. Pope Francis made that remark on Thursday in an address to…
French cardinal says book royalties go to abuse victims A French cardinal who resigned as archbishop of Lyon after being acquitted of failing to report clerical sex abuse said the royalties from his new book would go to abuse victims. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin told France’s RTL radio that the Archdiocese of Lyon would distribute the…
The purpose of crying out to the Lord in prayer is not to get used to suffering, but to remember that God, and not humankind, is the only source of salvation and consolation, Pope Francis said. The Book of Psalms, with its many prayers of supplication, teaches Christians how to ask “God to intervene where…
Italian media has reported allegations that Cardinal Angelo Becciu transferred several hundred thousand euros from Vatican accounts to an account in Australia during the trial of Cardinal George Pell. The cardinal has not responded to the allegation, which international news outlets have yet to independently corroborate. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Friday that…
The tomb of Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager who used his computer programming skills to spread devotion to the Eucharist, was opened for veneration before his beatification in Assisi. A statement released by the Diocese of Assisi said the tomb will remain open for veneration until October 17. Venerable Acutis’ beatification Mass will be…